Thursday, November 19, 2009

While the epic showdown between two of the most powerful heavyweights in the world in Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar was unfortunately cancelled, the UFC still has plenty of star power roll out for UFC 106, one of their flagship events of the year in Las Vegas.

While Tito Ortiz was originally scheduled to make his return to the Octagon against Mark Coleman, Coleman was forced to drop out and now he will get what could be an even better matchup in a rematch against Forrest Griffin, one of the most popular fighters the UFC has to offer.

What makes this matchup compelling in many fans’ minds is simply to see how Griffin responds after being embarrassed against Anderson Silva and then running out of the Octagon back to the solitude of the locker room as if he couldn’t bear to face his fans after the TKO loss.

How Griffin rebounds mentally could go a long way in determining whether or not the favorite Griffin, who boasts -165 odds to Ortiz’s +135, can take care of business at UFC 106.

The co-main event promises perhaps more fireworks than the main event as wrestlers and knockout artists collide. Anthony Johnson is ready for the biggest test of his career against Josh Koscheck in a fight that could easily go either way but should end with one of the two laying face down on the mat.

Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner Amir Sadollah will get a chance to bounce back from his controversial loss to Johny Hendricks in his first fight when he takes on “The Best Eva!” Phil Baroni, one of the cockiest fighters in UFC history. Baroni is an excellent boxer and a strong guy but his lack of a ground game has him as the underdog going in at +145 odds to -175 to Sadollah, the favorite.

Another intriguing matchup at UFC 106 has Marcus Davis, a top-notch boxer, going up against the lanky muay thai/submission fighter Ben Saunders in a welterweight bout.

Perhaps an even better welterweight bout will also take place on the main card as Karo Parisyan returns from a suspension due to testing positive for a banned painkiller to take on crafty submission wizard Dustin Hazelett. This could be fight of the night, if Parisyan, the slight underdog at -110 to -120 for Hazelett, can stay out of one of his submissions.

Finally, wrestling star and up-and-comer Jake Rosholt will take on Kendall Grove in a middleweight bout. Rosholt is a surprising -210 favorite to +165 for Grove despite Grove’s dangerous submission game. But Rosholt might be a good bet at UFC 106 because he has a big edge in terms of power and leverage on the spindly Grove.

Check out these odds and more on the BetUS.com Sportsbook as we get closer to one of the biggest MMA events of the year in one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

Emilianenko is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter. He is the current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion and the last holder of the Pride Heavyweight Championship. Fedor was the main event on the Affliction's "Trilogy" on Aug. 1, but the event got canceled a short time after his opponent, Josh Barnett was tested positive for steroids. Now he is due to fight Brett Rogers in the main event at CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/ M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on November 7th.

Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist as well as a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He was better known as a World Wrestling Entertainment star and is the only fighter to have held a WWE and UFC title belt. Lesnar proved to be the undisputed UFC heavyweight king once again at UFC 100 by getting a TKO win over the only person who ever beat him in the UFC, Frank Mir.

Barnett is an American heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and a professional wrestler. Barnett was supossed to take on Fedor Emelianenko on Aug. 1 at Affliction "Trilogy" in a marquee heavyweight showdown but he was tested positive for steroids. Even though this is his 3rd drug test that he has failed, Josh said the results were due to a unfair drug test.

Mir currently competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he was the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. Frank was sidelined in 2004 for almost 2 years after a serious motorcycle accident. He has since recovered and has wins over Antoni Hardonk and Brock Lesnar. His last match was a re-match agianst Brock Lesnar on July 11th at UFC 100. He lost by TKO 1:48 in the second round.Mir will get a chance to prove he still has what it takes in December at UFC 107 when he takes on the french fighter Cheick Kongo

Nogueria is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. Whether the Couture bout will live up to the hype remains to be seen, but two of the sport's most enduring icons will square off at UFC 102 in August.

Rogers is a professional heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter. He was picked up by Strikeforce along with the contracts of 41 other ProElite fighters. Few would have denied that his heavy hands gave him a chance against Andrei Arlovski, but Rogers took his opportunity and ran with it against the former UFC champion. It took Rogers just 22 seconds to put down the Belarusian, setting up an Nov. 7th date with Fedor Emelianenko for the CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/ M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS main event.

Arlovski is a Belarusian mixed martial arts fighter and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. Despite having knocked off the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson in the recent past, those accomplishments now seem like distant memories for Arlovski. "The Pitbull" has been brutally beated in his last two outings by Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, and conversation now centers on his inability to protect his glass jaw.

Couture is an American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, former collegiate wrestler, and the former heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After losing to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 he signed a 6 fight contract with the UFC. His next fight is against Brandon Vera at UFC 105.

Carwin is an American mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Just when it looked as if he were on the ropes, Carwin folded Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96. The victory gave the touted heavyweight prospect his 11th stoppage win in 11 fights.Carwin's next fight will be against none other than the UFC heavyweight champion, the infamous Brock Lesnar, for the title.

Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Fresh off his May 23 blowout of Rashad Evans, it was thought Machida would soon start preparing for a challenge from former light heavyweight top dog Quinton Jackson. However, with Jackson opting for a second coaching stint on "The Ultimate Fighter," Machida's first title defense will come October 24th against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104.

Jackson is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter who rose to prominence in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships. He was offered a title shot against Lyoto Machida, but he opted to settle his beef with Rashad Evans instead. The pair are coaching opposite each other in the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Quinton has expressed his desire to pursue his acting career and quite MMA.

Evans is an American mixed martial arts fighter from Lansing, MI currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. After his first and very brutal loss Evans is not taking it easy. "The Ultimate Fighter 2" winner will return to the show on which he first gained his rep, coaching against rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The two light heavyweights were suppossed to meet up later this year but "Rampage" decided to chicken out and pursue his acting career. Evans is slated to appear at UFC 108 against Thiago Silva, this should be one of the best UFC matches of all time.

Rua is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently fighting as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Following UFC 98, it looked as if "Shogun" was a fight or more away from challenging for the UFC title. Now, however, the consensus 2005 "Fighter of the Year" could have a chance to regain light heavyweight supremacy at UFC 104 in October against none other than the unbeatable "Dragon," Lyoto Machida.

Griffen is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Coming off of a debilitating loss to Rashad Evans in December, most fighters would've looked for an easy fight. Griffin initially was tabbed to meet Brazilian Thiago Silva at UFC 101. That was before Griffin decided to sign up for bout with MMA's pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva on Aug. 8. We all know how that match ended, to put it simply, he lost in a big way. He will get the chance to redeem himself at UFC 106 when he rematches Tito Ortiz .

Thiago Anderson Ramos da Silva is a professional mixed martial arts fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who currently competes in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championships.With only one loss (to Lyoto Machida), Silva looks to build momentum by beating Rashad "Suga" Evans in what is to be a huge bout at UFC 108.

Gegard Mousasi is a professional Armenian mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is the former Dream Middleweight Champion, Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion and the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. He is one of the most youngest, promising fighters out there today and already has an astounding record. He is up to fight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a none title match on the main card of Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers” on Nov. 7th.

Cane is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the UFC. "Banha" showed poise in winning a hard-fought unanimous decision in his April 18 bout with former WEC champion Steve Cantwell. It should be onward and upward for the hot prospect in the 205-pound division.He will be matched up against fellow Brazilian Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in his next fight at UFC 106 on Nov. 21.

Nogueira is a professional mixed martial arts fighter from Brazil and fought for Affliction. He is the twin of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It took Nogueira seven years and 20 fights to finally have a bout in his native Brazil. Fortunately, he made it a show for Fortaleza fans, as he took out Dutchman Dion Staring with a triangle choke on May 9. He is slated to make his UFC debut against fellow Brazilian Luis Arthur Cane at UFC 106 on Nov. 21st.

Franklin is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion. Franklin felt he was cheated in his split decision loss to Dan Henderson in January. At UFC 99, "Ace" got back into the win column with his unanimous decision over Wanderlei Silva, putting the former UFC middleweight champion's light heavyweight hopes back on track...or so we thought. Rich got KO'ed by Vitor Belfort in the first round in the UFC 103 headliner, he apparantly did not have an ace up his sleeve.

Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion. Drawing criticism for his below par April title defense against Thales Leites, Silva was clearly in need of an interesting challenge. Now Silva, who has taken out elite welterweights and middleweights in his career, will have the chance to put away an elite light heavyweight at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 when he meets Forrest Griffin.

Okami is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and fights at middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Okami tweaked his knee while training for a May bout with Dan Miller but will still get a chance to face strong middleweight opposition in his next outing. Japan's top 185-pounder will likely meet former UFC title challenger Patrick Cote at UFC 103 in September.

Marquardt is an American mixed martial artist. He is a 7-time middleweight King of Pancrase Champion, and currently fights in the middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He wants to rematch divisional top dog Anderson Silva, who beat him in July 2007. In order to get another shot at "The Spider" and the UFC middleweight title, Marquardt will need to take out his biggest challenge since his bout with Silva, undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu king Demian Maia at UFC 102 on Aug. 29.

Henderson is a former Olympic wrestler and current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial artist. Henderson earned a split decision over Rich Franklin at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, on Jan. 17. The former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder has earned a lengthy promotional vehicle coaching against Michael Bisping on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The season's larger payoff was a marquee bout against Bisping at UFC 100 in July. Dan Henderson won by Knock Out at 3:20 in the 2nd round.

Maia is a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization. Few fighters, if any, have been as impressive as Maia over the last year. His road to a shot at the UFC middleweight title now runs through Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 on Aug. 29.

Santiago is a Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He trains with American Top Team based in Coconut Creek, Florida. He is the current Sengoku Middleweight Champion. He will fight either Kazuo Misaki or Kazuhiro Nakamura in the first defense of his Sengoku middleweight title later this year. Jorge was suppssed to fight fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort on Aug. 1 at Affliction "Trilogy."

Leites is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently fighting at middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Wanting to erase the memories of his April title challenge against Anderson Silva, Leites has quickly accepted a bout with Italian striker Alessio Sakara at UFC 101 on Aug. 8.

Lawler is an American mixed martial arts fighter. Lawler was the EliteXC middleweight champion before EliteXC filed for bankruptcy. Lawler has recently signed with Strikeforce. He appeared to be in control on the feet in his June 6 bout with Jake Shields. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was tapping out to a Shields guillotine choke.

Belfort is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has fought both in Japan and the United States. The majority of his bouts have taken place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and he is the former UFC light heavyweight champion. He is the current Cage Rage light heavyweight champion. His latest fight was supossed to be with Jorge Santiago, another top 10 middleweight at Affliction "Trilogy," but the event was cancelled.

Sonnen is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He is currently signed as a middleweight with the UFC. He was a 2x National Champion, NCAA All-American, and he was a US. Olympic team alternate. His last victory was over Dan Miller at UFC 98.

St. Pierre often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist. He is currently the Welterweight Champion of the UFC, and is ranked as one of the top "pound-for-pound" fighters by multiple MMA sources. Despite debate over the improper use of Vaseline by St. Pierre's cornermen, GSP tore thru B.J. Penn in their Jan. 31 superfight at UFC 94. He also beat Thiago Alves by Unanimous Decision at UFC 100 in the co-main event.

Alves is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts fighter in the UFC. His noted 2008 breakout has earned him a shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 in July. GSP ended his 7 win streak after going the distance.

Shields s an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting at 170 lbs (77 kg). He is the Rumble on the Rock 175 lb (79 kg) champion. He is the first & last Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He is also the former Shooto World Champion. He may have looked out of his depth for a minute or so, but Shields' submission skills shined through once again June 6 against Robbie Lawler. The former EliteXC welterweight champion submitted the former EliteXC middleweight titleholder 2:02 into their Strikeforce bout, recording his 12th straight win. Shields' unbeaten streak now spans almost five years.

Kampmann is a mixed martial artist who is currently fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada and trains at the Xtreme Couture gym. He is currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.For a short matter of hours, fans were excited to see MMA's foremost Dane take on fast-rising prospect T.J. Grant at the TUF 9 finale in June. However, Kampmann turned down the bout, saying that he was looking for bigger fights in the 170-pound division.

Thiago is a Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Thiago is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championships fighting in their welterweight division. He's gutsy, if nothing else. Having aced his February UFC debut against Josh Koscheck, the relatively unknown Brazilian attempted to knock off Koscheck's teammate and consensus top-three welterweight Jon Fitch at UFC 100 on July 11. Thiago lost by Unanimous Decision.

Koscheck is an American mixed martial arts fighter from Fresno, California, a former collegiate wrestling champion, and is currently fighting at welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A foot injury deprived Koscheck of a chance to get back into action against Chris Wilson at UFC 98 in May. Koscheck's next bout may be even sterner now. His likely opponent for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 is former UFC welterweight title challenger Frank Trigg, who returns to the promotion and the division after a run at middleweight.

Condit is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization but a victory was not in the cards, but his wildly entertaining April 1 split decision loss to Martin Kampmann did show that the former WEC kingpin belongs in the Octagon with the sport's top 170-pounders.

Swick is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight. Though the first eight minutes wasn't anything to write home about, Swick seized control of his June 13 bout with Ben Saunders and put the AKA product away with punches in the second round. The victory pushed Swick's UFC record to 9-1 and a perfect 4-0 in the welterweight division. Mike will be taking on Martin Kampmann on Sept. 19 at UFC 103

Dan Hardy is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Hardy fought in various promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008. He is the current Cage Warriors welterweight and light-welterweight champion. His last fight was a split decision win over Marcus Davis at UFC 99

Penn is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who is currently the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion. In 2000, he became the first American-born winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the black-belt category. Penn has accepted the offer to defend his UFC 155-pound crown against Kenny Florian. The long overdue lightweight matchup is set for UFC 101 on Aug. 8.

Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police officer. Aoki is the current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Lightweight Champion and Shooto Middleweight Champion. Coming off his crushing loss against Hayato Sakurai in April, Aoki hasn't opted for a gimme. He came back by defeating returning lightweight standout Vitor Ribeiro at Dream 10 on July 20 by Decision (Unanimous).

Alvarez is an American mixed martial arts fighter, stuntman, and former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion.With his May 1 submission over Eric Reynolds, Alvarez reached Bellator's lightweight tournament final, just as everyone had expected. However, the world expected him to meet Jorge Masvidal in the championship. Instead, he'll meet upset author and potential "Submission of the Year" owner Toby Imada on June 19.

Hansen is a Norwegian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He began his career fighting for FinnFight before moving on to fight for Shooto where he became the first Scandinavian person to hold a MMA world title after winning the Shooto World Welterweight Championship in 2003. Despite the attention given to his New Year's Eve rematch with Gesias Cavalcante, the bout was cancelled at the last minute when a pre-fight medical test revealed an undisclosed head injury to Hansen.

Kitaoka is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He has fought the majority of his career as a welterweight for Pancrase, but moved down to lightweight in 2008 when he joined MMA promoter World Victory Road. Kitaoka's Pancrase homecoming on June 7 was every bit as predictable as expected, as he leglocked an overmatched Yukio Sakaguchi in 86 seconds. The real challenge for Sengoku's lightweight champion came Aug. 2, for a title match against Mizuto Hirota. Satoru lost by TKO.

Kawajiri s a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and a former Shooto welterweight champion, currently competing in Dream's lightweight division. For the last six years, Kawajiri has been one of MMA's best lightweights, but in a red-hot, hyperactive division, he didn't quite have the wins to show for it. His blue collar unanimous verdict over standout Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante on May 26 proved that the "Crusher" has still got it.

Maynard is an American amateur wrestler and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He currently competes as an MMA fighter in the UFC lightweight division. Despite virtually no fanfare, "The Bully" has dominated three strong lightweights in a row. His March 15-minute thrashing of a high-quality Jim Miller was Maynard's most consummate outing to date.

Edgar is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Toms River, New Jersey, currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Not wanting to hear any more discussion about him cutting to 145 pounds, Edgar made a strong statement that he can hang against elite lightweights, staying a step ahead of former UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk for the full 15 minutes of their May 23 bout.

Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of thirty-three wins, four losses, and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a one-time UFC Lightweight Champion.

This fight is going to be exciting; you will either witness 46yr old Randy Couture ground and pound Brandon Vera for three rounds proving that age is only a number and that he is determined to show that he can make a run at the 205lb Belt. The other outcome that you could witness would be Vera finally living up to his hype and potential by using his range to pick Couture apart on his feet.

Prediction: Vera has great Muay Thai, solid wrestling and high caliber BJJ but don’t forget that he is going against Couture who probably has some of the best wrestling in all of MMA. If Vera can keep distance and use his kicks to keep Couture away then I can see him pulling out a decision because I don’t think Vera can finish Couture. On the other hand I think Couture could pick up and slam Vera for three rounds and just use his top game to control the fight. I’m going with Randy Couture on this fight because he is the master at coming up and executing the perfect game plan. If you want to be standing during this fight put a decent size wager on Randy Couture because I can promise he won’t give up and he will keep attacking Vera.

Dan Hardy +180 vs. Mike Swick -225

A lot is at stake in this fight, the winner will earn a shot at George St. Pierre’s welterweight title. Mike Swick has been in the UFC after being on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter and has only been beaten once in the octagon. Swick is a big welterweight with lighting fast hands, he also trains with Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck every day so that means his wrestling is always improving. Swick really impressed me in his last fight because he knocked out Ben Saunders who was known for his striking. Before Hardy entered the UFC he was only really known overseas but after going 3-0 in the UFC and beating Marcus Davis he is now known for his great striking abilities. Hardy trains with the best boxing coach around Freddie Roach.

Prediction: If the fight stays standing I think Hardy will get the better of Swick but I think when Swick realizes that he will use his wrestling to take the fight to the mat were he can control Hardy. Swick will pull out a three round decision earning him a shot at the welterweight title.

Michael Bisping -105 vs. Denis Kang -125

This fight is hard to pick, Bisping will be the hometown favorite and needs this fight after being brutally knocked out in his last fight against Dan Henderson. I always said I was never impressed with Bisping but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he is a great fighter, I just don’t think he was ready to fight a top 5 fighter in the world. Denis Kang is a great fighter mainly known from fighting in Japan; he is very well rounded and can mix it up a lot. The one thing that I found missing from his fighting in his first two fights in the Octagon was his cardio, he was clearly destroying Alan Belcher until he got caught in a choke because he was out of gas.

Prediction: One thing about Bisping is that no matter what he will fight hard for all three rounds, I see Kang taking round one but after that Bisping will get the crowd back into the fight and will finish Kang by TKO. Bisping knows he needs this win to remain the UK’s poster boy for MMA.

Matt Brown-155 vs. James Wilks +125

I will admit right away that I am a big fan of both of these fighters, they both are very tough and aren’t afraid to get into a stand up war. Matt Brown puts on an exciting fight every time he steps into the Octagon; the one question people always wonder about Brown is his ground game. James Wilks has good stand up but is known for his jiu-jitsu; on the Ultimate Fighter he used his ground skills to win the show.

Prediction: For this fight you might as well flip a coin, so I wouldn’t put a large wager but if you want action my prediction is Wilks wins this fight by submission.

Ross Pearson +160 vs. Aaron Riley -200

Prediction: This fight is also very tough to pick, Riley is a more seasoned veteran with very solid skills all around. Pearson is the young up and comer who is tough as nails and likes to strike in close using wrestling to take the fight to the ground. I think these fighters are evenly matched, but something about Rileys fights with Shane Nelson didn’t impress me too much. I am going with the young fighter in Pearson, I think it will be a war but Pearson will grind out the decision win.